Kayaking, Mad Libs, and Greek History: Here’s What Summer School Looks Like in Somersworth, N.H.

Middle schoolers in Somersworth Youth Connections take a kayaking field trip. (Sarah Gibson/NHPR)

At Idlehurst Elementary School in Somersworth, 9-year old twins Jamya and Jennessa Mercer are huddled over their clipboards, crafting a Mad Libs story about camping. They’re here with three other students and three teachers, four days a week, for the next five weeks.

It’s a far cry from the virtual schooling they had much of this past year.

“I had really hard work to do in third grade – it felt like I was in high school!” Jennessa says.

“Yeah,” Jamya chimes in. “It felt like we were in high school because our teachers gave us hard work and we sometimes couldn’t all do it together.”

Somersworth didn’t reopen its schools fully until May, after over a year of hybrid and remote learning. But now, buildings are bustling. Like many districts, the Somersworth summer school program this year is on steroids: more kids, more staff, more hours in the classroom, and more money to pay for it all.

Click here for the full story from New Hampshire Public Radio.